


On Rotten Wings

by AnonMadSci



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Addict!Bucky, Anon is a sadist, BAMF Sarah, F/F, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, I Blame Tumblr, M/M, Minor Character Death, My First Fanfic, No idea what I'm doing, Skinny!Steve, Things get better?, WINGING IT, background nat/sharon, eventual stucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9096607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonMadSci/pseuds/AnonMadSci
Summary: AU where Steve wasn’t born yet, Bucky went to war and became an enhanced soldier. Without Steve to defeat RedSkull, Hydra’s plan came to fruition. Seventy years in the future, Hydra rules. The weak are culled and the strong survive. That’s just how the world works. Rebellions occasionally pop up, but they’re quickly silenced when the head of Hydra sends their pet Winter Soldier to erase them. And he does so.  Viciously. Ruthlessly. To the point that Hydra hasn’t encountered any resistance for years. Not until they discovered that the rebellion had simply grown smarter, hidden themselves deep within the broken society. So they sent him to the very slums that the rebels hid behind. Gave him an apartment and set him loose, multiple embedded tracking chips and back up protocols not withstanding. His upstairs neighbors? Sarah and her son, Steve, who the Asset begins to suspect is not quite the picture of strength that Hydra breeds. He should turn the boy in. He should cull the runt himself. It would be simple enough, he can feel the fluttering pulse racing beneath his hand wrapped tight around the scrawny neck, can feel his weak gasps against his side. But he doesn’t see fear. No, he’s never seen fear in those blue eyes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I will probably not have a regular update schedule since I work quite a bit and often struggle with motivation and time management. 
> 
> The prologue will be the only chapter set in the past, everything else is 70 years into the future like the description says. I'll add tags and warnings as they become necessary.
> 
> Un-beta'd.

The ash was as deep and fluid as sand on a beach, but a deep brown black and as sharp as it was fine. It cut into his palms and the callouses on his fingers as he clenched handfuls of it. The physical pain not nearly enough to distract from his emotional upheaval; the sheer loss. He couldn't even deny it, the proof too present to ignore.

The brisk marshy scent of the ocean carrying even more ash would have been recognizable in his sleep from all the extra shifts at the dockside factory. The only remaining part of the Statue of Liberty were the end of her skirts and her feet upon the pedestal. That was perhaps the most undeniable, Bucky hadn't been able to take his eyes off of it since they lead him here and told him where here was. Where it had been. Where the crater of ash remained. Now all that remained of his city, his family, his home, was ash and the skeletal remains of buildings that had been lucky enough to survive somewhat intact, standing up like bleached bones in an old carcass.

"We'd like to thank you Sergeant. You see, this wouldn't have been possible so soon if not for the hard work of you and your regiment as well as the other troops of your pathetic alliance." The gravelly voice of Johann Schmidt spoke up, amusement twisting the knife in Bucky's heart violently. The fresh pain dragging him from the numbness that had begun to set in and renewing his grief. Tossing his head back and baring his bruised face to the clouded sky, a howl tearing from his throat raw from disuse and breaking under the strain. Lips cracked and bled anew where they had scabbed over from his last beating, but he hardly noticed. He shouted his rage and grief to the ash that fell like perverse snowflakes, drowning out the chuckle RedSkull gave as he left as well as any other sound.

Even as the cry faded, he was unaware of anything but the pain; not the hundreds of little cuts healing as fast as he gained them, not the blood staining his teeth, running down his chin and coating his throat, the heaving of his chest and wet rasps as his body fought to regain his breath. Not even the silent tears streaming from unseeing eyes could distract him.

He'd known they had something planned when they'd stopped his beatings and 'training' to bring him here. A part of had closed itself off, expecting more pain. But not this. Never this.

"Every major city around the world shares this fate," A heavily accented voice behind him spoke up. The kneeling man didn't even flinch, didn't react to the words or the doctor who'd experimented on him. Reduced him to nothing more than a subject. "It's important that we have a clean slate to work with, Soldat."

Silence. Just tears and falling ash that continued to blanket the remains and muffle all other sounds.

"I can make it go away Soldat. The pain that breaks you, has brought you to your knees. I can take the memories away." Zola spoke, stepping forward as Bucky rocked back on his heels.

For the first time, he was unguarded. There were none of the masked goons beside Zola, the scientists the sole other person in sight standing under a black umbrella to shield him from the ash. Muscles sore from disuse protested as he slowly stood, fine black dust fell from greasy locks and tattered clothes. Grey eyes sweeping his surroundings with a tiredness, tears drying to dark tracks on his cheeks.

For a moment; he could hear his ma shouting, "Don't you take any wooden nickels, James." just like when he was a boy, taking off for a game in the streets, warning him not to do anything stupid. Another sob rose with a choked sound. It hurt too much to even consider which decision she'd think was stupid.

"Do it." The words, barely above a whisper were eaten by the shifting surroundings so he wet his lips and turned towards Zola. "Take it. Take them." He rasped. Bucky turned his back to the remains of his city and all the ghosts that lingered. Zola grinned.

"Of course Soldat. Come with me."

_The soldier obeyed._

**Author's Note:**

> I have a Tumblr! It's AnonMadSci (Will replace with a link when I figure that out...)
> 
> Kudos and comments feed me motivation!


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